THE SPREADING IN ASIA MINOR AND EUROPE
THROUGH THE MINISTRY OF PAUL AND HIS COMPANIONS (30)
Read and pray: "Paul, an apostle, not from men, nor through man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead" (Galatians 1:1)
In Acts 24:1-9, Paul was accused by the lawyer of the Jews, and in Acts 24:10-21, he defended himself before Felix, the Roman governor of Judea. Then, in Acts 24:22-27, he was kept in custody by the unjust and corrupt Roman politician. In Acts 24:27 we read: "But after two years, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison." Luke doesn't tell us what Paul did during those two years. In this message, we will consider what he may have done during this period.
Luke doesn't tell us anything about the two years Paul was kept in custody in Caesarea, nor about the time he spent in Arabia after his conversion. Regarding this, Paul says: "Nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus" (Galatians 1:17).
It is difficult to determine where in Arabia Paul went after his conversion and how long he stayed. However, it must have been a place separated from Christians, and the time he stayed there was likely not short. His purpose in referring to this was to testify that he did not receive the gospel from men (Galatians 1:12). There, he must have received some revelation about the gospel directly from the Lord.
Without a doubt, the divine revelation Paul received from the Lord in Arabia came through his knowledge of the Old Testament, of which he was an excellent scholar. This is evident from how he expounded it in the books of Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews. When we read these books, we see that he had a profound knowledge of the Old Testament.
Moreover, he had discernment of the Scriptures. An example of this is the allegory of Sarah, the wife of Abraham, and Hagar, the concubine of Abraham, as representing two covenants (Galatians 4:22-26). Had he not allegorized them in Galatians 4, we could read Genesis multiple times and not see that Sarah and Hagar represent two covenants. But Paul, who was a great scholar of the truth of the Old Testament, had the discernment to see this. Through his knowledge, divine light came to him. Thus, as we see in his writings, he could understand the types in the Old Testament regarding the Person and work of Christ. The knowledge he had of the Scriptures was one of the reasons he received so much divine revelation.
RECEIVED REVELATION DIRECTLY FROM THE LORD
Although Paul received much revelation from the Lord through his knowledge of the Old Testament, some aspects of this revelation are not based on the Old Testament. We can take, for example, what he says about the different laws in Romans 7 and 8. In Romans 8:2, he says: "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death." Here he speaks of two laws: the law of sin and death and the law of the Spirit of life. In Romans 7, in addition to the law of God (v. 22), he speaks of "the law of my mind" (v. 23), which is the law of doing good.
In Romans 7:23, he also mentions "the law of sin which is in my members." Thus, in these two chapters, he speaks of four laws: the written law of God, the law of doing good, the law of sin and death, and the law of the Spirit of life. In contrast to the law of God, the law of doing good, the law of sin and death, and the law of the Spirit of life are not written laws; rather, they are fixed principles of life.
Each life has its own law. The law of doing good is the law of human life. The law of sin and death is the law of sinful life, of satanic life. The law of the Spirit of life is the law of divine life. These three laws are based on the fixed principles of these lives. Human life has its own law, satanic life has a sinful law, and divine life, which is the highest life, certainly has a divine law.
What was the source of the revelation given to Paul regarding these three laws? I studied this question to see if I could discover the source, but I couldn't. He probably received it directly from the Lord. Moreover, his knowledge of these laws was based on his experience. He experienced the law of the mind, the law of doing good. He also experienced the law of sin and death. Regarding this, he could say: "But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members" (Romans 7:23).
Before this, in Romans 7, Paul said: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good" (Romans 7:18-21). Thus, through his experience, he learned that there is such a law, like the law of sin and death.
Certainly, through his Christian experience, he discovered that in him was a higher law: the law of divine life. He certainly received the revelation regarding these four laws. Having received so much revelation from the Lord, when he preached, he could minister to others the riches of these revelations. He was able to write letters such as 1 and 2 Thessalonians, Romans, Galatians, and 1 and 2 Corinthians. When we read his writings, we see that they are all full of divine revelation. What we are emphasizing here is that he must have received much revelation from the Lord while in Arabia.
Enjoy more: Hymn 19
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